


Luke and Alex take the twins to meet Luke's grandparents

by jennandanica



Series: Citadel: Luke Evans and Alex Skarsgard [180]
Category: Actor RPF, Citadel (Journalfen RPG), True Blood RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 13:30:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14106453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandanica/pseuds/jennandanica





	Luke and Alex take the twins to meet Luke's grandparents

  
**players only. backdated to December 2015, after[the family spends some time in Sweden.](http://alex-skarsgard.dreamwidth.org/11310.html)**

"I don't know. Maybe a _little_ bit like my father," Alex acquiesces, smiling at how gently Gransha cradles his great-granddaughter in his arms. "The chin, maybe. But I'm still holding out hope that they'll look more like Luke's side of the family." As far as he can tell thus far into this first introduction between generations, they're all still in a 'polite shock' sort of phase – Luke and him included – but he's pretty sure he'd prefer that over a 'scream and wake the babies' scenario. "Do you remember holding Luke when he was this tiny?"

Charles shakes his head, staring at Kaja. "I know I did," he says, glancing over at Jenny who is staring at Rhys in much the same way. "But I don't really remember it. It seems hard to believe he was ever this small."

"I don't think he was," Jenny interjects. "He started out bigger than these two."

"Yeah, they started out really tiny," Alex agrees, thankful that life has progressed past the point where the babies' weights were a source of agonizing speculation. "But they've both grown so much in just a few weeks. Kaja gained 12 ounces already, and Rhys is close to that, too. They're good eaters, now," he adds, looking over at his husband with a smile.

Luke smiles back. "Can I take some pictures of you with the twins?" he asks, beaming as he takes out his phone and snaps several with Alex and his grandparents, before he hands his phone over and has his husband do the same.

"If I do say so myself," Alex says, grinning and taking another picture, "we... are... a damn good-looking family." He winks at Nana and hands Luke his phone back. "All Angelina and Brad's kids can just forget it."

Jenny laughs, delighted. "What about their mother?" she asks, completely unsure of how these things work. "Will she see them very often?" She directs the question at Alex, knowing it's his sister they're talking about.

"I hope so." Alex sits down on the couch and picks up his mug of tea. "That mainly depends on her. We're going to try to get to Sweden a little more frequently. But Elin knows that with the way Luke and I work, she's going to have to travel to wherever we are most of the time. We're trying to make it as easy on her as possible."

Charles nods. "She already has a boy. Is that right?"

Luke jumps in. "A son, yes, named Greger. He's a teenager."

"How does he feel about having a half-brother and sister?" Charles asks, smiling as Kaja curls one tiny fist around one of his fingers.

"He's pretty excited about it, in principle. But he's not actually all that interested in them now that they're here. But, hey – he's a 15 year-old boy, I guess that's normal," Alex says, chuckling. He sips his tea and covertly watches his husband. Imprinting Luke's beaming expression onto his memory. "I think he'll be more interested once they're older. I mean, my youngest brother is 15 years younger than I am, and for most of his life his existence didn't even register with me. But now that he's grown and has a personality all his own, I really like getting to hang out with him."

Luke laughs. "We have to wait that long?" he teases.

"Who knows? Maybe Greger will break earlier than I did," Alex replies, and shoots his husband a wink. And he starts wondering whether Nana and Gransha might feel comfortable babysitting yet, because it's been days since he's had his boy all to himself...

"Do you want to feed her?" Luke asks his Gransha when Kaja starts to fuss.

"Me?" Charles looks surprised. He never fed his daughter and he doesn't remember feeding Luke either. Not until his grandson was older.

"It's just a bottle," Luke says. "We'll warm them up. Kaja gets hungry sooner than Rhys but it's easier to keep them on the same schedule."

"And don't worry, we'll load you up with extra burp cloths," Alex offers with a rueful smile. "I'm not going to pretend there isn't the occasional projectile vomiting." Considering the company, he stops short of adding an _Exorcist_ joke.

Jenny looks slightly alarmed. "Is that because of the formula?" she asks as Luke heads for the kitchen to heat up the bottles. She hopes he knows what he's doing but he must.

"No, it's just because their stomachs are so tiny. It's perfectly normal, the doctors have all told us," Alex rushes to add when he spies the look on Nana's face. He smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Do you want to check on those?" Luke asks, coming back from the kitchen, burp cloths in hand. He gives his husband a smile and briefly touches his hand as he passes, turning to drape the swathes of soft flannel over his grandparents' shoulders. Kaja's already squirming and starting to make the sniffling noises that will soon turn into cries and he only hopes the bottles will be ready before that. Their daughter has quite the pair of lungs. "It's coming. I promise," he assures her, flashing a smile at his nana and gransha.

This new life is still so surreal to Alex, and sometimes he gets an external view of himself, detached, almost like he's an observer of his own existence. Right now is one of those moments. He watches himself as he seals the bottles tight, then vigorously shakes each of them before checking for hot spots. This new guy – alert to nuances of differences in baby formula, a master of planning and efficiency when it comes to traveling internationally with not just one but two infants, who is developing an ear for each baby's distinct cries – this guy is _not_ Alex. This can't possibly be his life. No way. He was made to be relentlessly single, unattached and with nothing weighing him down, fucking his way through the world however he damn well pleases. He is a _consumer_ , damn it – he doesn't give.

A robust shriek suddenly splits the air. Kaja's hungry cry, yeah, he knows that one. He turns and carries the bottles back to his family with a smile.

Luke takes one bottle from Alex and helps his gransha with feeding Kaja, who latches right on and starts sucking like she hasn't been fed in weeks.

Sitting down next to Jenny on the sofa, Alex grins at his son, then hands over the bottle. "This one is a bit tougher," he explains softly, and strokes Rhys's cheek, coaxing him to open up. "So don't take it personally if he doesn't clean his plate."

"But you said he'll get better at eating?" Jenny checks, a little concerned although she relaxes when Rhys starts sucking as well.

"Yeah, not to worry," Alex assures her, with more confidence than he actually feels. But maybe if he reassures Jenny then that will help _him_ believe the pediatrician's words. "He's getting stronger every day." He takes his son's tiny fist and guides it to Jenny's age-spotted hand. Rhys reflexively clutches at Nana's finger, and Alex digs out his phone to take more pictures.

There's a knock at the door and Luke looks over, the frosted glass obscuring his view. "Are you expecting anyone?" he asks his grandparents, already moving towards the door. He pulls it open and his heart drops into his stomach.

His mum.

Yvonne gives him a small smile, unsure of her reception. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything," she says quietly, grateful when her voice doesn't shake. She holds up a white pharmacy bag. "Mum said she needed her prescriptions filled and wasn't sure she'd make it out next week."

Alex's eyes widen as he absorbs the implications of the sudden arrival. He'd swear that Luke wasn't expecting his mother to appear; from the quietly unsurprised expression on Yvonne's face, he's sure the reverse isn't true. Someone has obviously been leaking information to the enemy. He casts Nana a suspicious look.

Charles joins Alex, glancing over at his wife. They should know better than to meddle where they're not wanted, especially after David put his foot down, but Jenny's always been strong-willed and sometimes he wishes Yvonne had turned out more like her.

Luke nods. He's not sure what to say. "Did you want to come in?" he asks, taking a step back, letting her see her parents obviously holding and feeding the babies.

"If you don't mind," Yvonne says, moving inside before her son can say anything more. "Hi Mum. Hi Dad. Hello Alex." She gives him a nod and another small smile, even more uncertain of her welcome there.

Dipping his chin in return, Alex is as civil as anyone could ask for. "Yvonne." He glances at Luke, ready to take his cues from his husband on this one.

Yvonne looks at the babies, both sucking away at their bottles, tiny hands curled around her parents' fingers. "Oh, they're beautiful," she says softly. "Which is which?"

"Gransha's holding Kaja and Nana's got Rhys," Luke tells her.

 _Tears_ , Alex thinks, his eyes hard as he considers his mother-in-law. _Show me tears!_ A cruel wish, perhaps. And of Luke's parents, Yvonne is the one Alex comes nearest to liking; would like, in fact, if not for all their disowning crap. But he's certain that if Yvonne doesn't melt over the most beautiful grandbabies in existence, then there is absolutely no hope for her.

"They look really healthy," Yvonne says, glancing at Luke and then Alex. She steps closer to her dad and crouches down, reaching out a hand to brush her fingertips over Kaja's tiny hand. "And they look like you," she tells her son, her eyes suddenly wet.

"They look like their mum too," Luke says, watching his mother. Unsure what to make of this. "Like Alex's family."

As he watches, Alex feels himself softening – just a little. "They're gorgeous," he agrees, getting to his feet so that Yvonne can take his seat on the couch should she wish to. "I see a lot of Luke in them, too." Something they can agree on, good. "And from the sound of it so far, I think they might've gotten his lungs."

Yvonne laughs at that then quickly quiets again, not sure what to say after all this time. "Could I hold them?" she asks Luke. "When they're done feeding?"

"Sure," Luke nods, although really he wants to ask whether she's sure she can stay that long and does his dad know she's here. Neither of which would be helpful. He moves closer to Alex, biting at his bottom lip as he watches his mum and grandparents with the twins.

"How are your burping skills?" Alex murmurs, unconsciously monitoring the level of liquid in the bottles. It's become so automatic: keeping track of how much the babies are eating, how wet their diapers are later, the slightest changes in their skin tone. The NICU nurses trained him well. He steps back from the little group to discreetly slip his arm around Luke's waist. And he realizes that, in spite of everything, he desperately wants Yvonne to feel comfortable. To be drawn in and more deeply engaged with these children of her blood.

Jenny smiles at Yvonne. "You can hold Rhys now if you want," she offers. "I'm sure I'll get another chance to feed him while they're here."

Yvonne looks at Luke, moving over to the couch only when he nods.

Luke reluctantly steps out of Alex's embrace and moves burp cloths from his nana's shoulder to his mum's. "Kaja's the big eater, Rhys is slower so you have to be patient," he says, making the switch of baby from one lap to the other as seamless as possible. "Make sure he gets all he wants."

Taking a step back – doing his best to blend in with the scenery, really – Alex tries to be unobtrusive as he lifts his phone and starts snagging more shots. Some of Yvonne and her grandson. Some of Yvonne and her grandson _and_ her son. Who knows if this will ever happen again?

"He's so tiny," Yvonne says, making sure Rhys has a good latch on the bottle's nipple. "But beautiful," she adds, giving Luke a smile. "And look at him." Rhys actually sucking quite steadily now. "He'll be putting on weight in no time. Twins are always like this. Aren't they, Mum?"

Jenny nods and reaches for Luke's hand, giving it a squeeze. "My brothers certainly were." She smiles over at her husband. "How's our girl doing?"

"Almost done," Charles says, his attention on Kaja as she finishes the last of the bottle. He sets it down on the table beside him and starts to move Kaja to his shoulder but he's not as nimble as he used to be and she starts squirming almost right away. "Can you help me?" he asks Alex.

"Sure." Alex drops to his knees next to the chair and takes Kaja, his movements practiced now. He lays her gently on Charles' shoulder, cradling her head. "Look at all that peach fuzz," he says, smiling at his daughter while Gransha taps her on the back. "So, the biggest question... What color hair are they going to have?"

"What colour does their mother have?" Charles asks, too intent on burping Kaja to notice his daughter stiffen slightly at the question, the reminder that the babies are the product of a union her church (and husband) does not accept discomfiting Yvonne.

"How are you finding fatherhood?" she asks Luke, refocusing her thoughts. "Are they up a lot in the night?"

The swift derailing is impossible for Alex not to notice, though. "Blonde, when she was a kid," he murmurs in reply to Gransha's question. And he looks up to meet his husband's eyes, willing Luke to answer his mum... Because he needs to take a slow deep breath.

"Crazier even than we expected," Luke admits with a smile. "And they're up, but we try and coordinate their feedings and changes so we're all up and down at the same time."

Yvonne nods. "It'll be a couple months before they can sleep through most of the night," she says, handing Luke the empty bottle as Rhys drains it and moving him to her shoulder. Her grandson. She wishes David were here to see them, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. Tears she can't blink back or wipe away since her hands are full. "I'm sorry," she whispers, embarrassed and ashamed, unable to meet her son's gaze.

Alex shrugs, trying for casual but aware that he doesn't succeed. "It's okay, they make me cry all the time."

It might not be casual but it still makes a world of difference to Yvonne. "Thank you," she says quietly, patting Rhys's back. "You're here through the weekend?" she asks, pressing her nose to the back of his head and inhaling that deliciously intoxicating mix of talc and brand new human being.

"Yes. And then we'll fly back home, to our house in Canada." Alex grins at his husband, huffing a soft laugh. "Luke and I had some fun figuring out all the furniture for the nursery and stuff. And their room looks out over the lake, so it should be nice and peaceful for them." He purses his lips now as he studies his mother-in-law. "You're welcome to visit, anytime. You know that." It's statement, not question.

Yvonne nods but doesn't say anything. She knows that, of course she does, but it's not going to happen. David will never relent and she'll never get to see her son or her grandbabies except in stolen moments like this.

Jenny says, "He doesn't have to know where you've gone. We could say we were taking a trip together. London."

"Jenny!" Charles hisses. It's one thing to have Yvonne come over at the same time as the lads are here but actively encouraging Yvonne to deceive her husband. Regardless of how he feels about David's religion and his behaviour towards Luke this last while, he's always respected the man and the way he's taken care of his family.

Luke shakes his head, knowing they're only causing his mum more distress. "It's okay. We understand. We'll be back again and we'll make sure you can see them when we are," he says softly. He's still hurt by everything his parents have done since he announced he was marrying Alex but this is his mum and he can't simply cut her out of her life no matter what he might say when he's feeling his lowest.

God dammit Alex can't stand hearing pain in his husband's voice like that. His jaw tightens, and he changes the subject for his own good. "Can I get some pictures of you all together?" he asks, rising to his feet. "Four generations of family."

Yvonne nods. "Yes, please. If you can send them to me?" she asks Luke. "And maybe I can come back tomorrow or the next day? Before you leave?" she adds quietly as everyone gets themselves and the babies arranged.

"I'd like that," Luke says, smiling for Alex.

* * *

Alex gently, gradually, achingly slowly lays Kaja in her portable bassinet, then extracts himself from the hold, one finger at a time. He loves his children; loves his children in such vivid soul-consuming immensity that he never even thought it possible. But god, they really do seem to drain the life right out of him. Perhaps it's a fair trade. He twitches a smile down at his sleeping girl, then quietly closes the pass-through from the kitchen and steps back into the front room where Rhys and Luke and his grandparents are. "Hey," he says softly, slipping an arm around his husband's waist. "Everyone doing all right?"

Luke nods. "Do you want me to take him?" he asks his grandmother who's still holding Rhys.

"No," she says firmly, giving them and then Charles a smile. "I want to hold him as long as I can and I don't care if my arms fall asleep."

"And she thinks she can't get into trouble over your mum if she's holding the baby," Charles supplies helpfully, eyes sparkling.

Flopping to a seat on the couch next to Charles, Alex lifts an eyebrow. " _Is_ she in trouble?"

"That depends on Luke," Charles says, looking at his grandson.

"No, although I wish you'd told me," Luke says, taking a seat.

"I didn't know if she was going to come or not," Jenny says, "and I certainly didn't want to get your hopes up or make you even more disappointed in her if she didn't show. I simply told her I had prescriptions that needed picking up and that you and Alex were going to be here with the twins this weekend."

 _Classic mom move._ Alex recognizes it well, and coughs into his hand to smother a smile. He wonders whether he and Luke will get so wily and manipulative with the twins – whether it's a skill most parents develop, paced with their kids' growth.

Sobering up, he quietly asks Gransha, "Where is David on all this, do you think? Is he softening at all?"

Charles looks at Alex. "David will never soften," he says, wishing he could tell the man differently. "He loves his family but he loves the church more. If Yvonne can see the babies without anyone finding out or it looking like she's purposely disobeying the church's edicts, he'll look the other way, but you'll never see him change his mind or risk being cast out."

Alex's breath catches softly at how matter-of-fact Charles's tone is. How uncharacteristically cold. "They visit you here together, right? Sometimes?"

Charles nods. "We see them all the time."

"Do me a favor?" Alex asks. "We'll send you pictures from today, of course. Can you make sure you put one of the beautiful ones of Luke and the twins on display, front and center?" His eyes gleam with calculation. "You know, so that he can't possibly avoid looking at it when he's here."

Charles stares at Alex for a moment then glances at Jenny and Luke. Jenny doesn't say a thing but he can tell she approves and he turns back to Alex and nods. "We'll be happy to do that."

"Awesome." Alex flashes Jenny a dazzling grin – one which has gotten him into trouble many times before, it's true – then checks Luke's expression. Praying his husband won't be pissed at him for this.

Luke simply shakes his head. "You're all awful," he says, but it's clear he doesn't mean it. Despite his mum's visit today, _this_ and Alex's family in Sweden, this is his real family, the ones who would do anything for him and be there _always_ , whenever he needs them.


End file.
